System and Method for Providing Advertising Based on Mobile Device Travel Patterns

1. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to: determine one or more locations a mobile device of a user has traveled to on a current path; receive positional information regarding movements of a plurality of other mobile devices of other users; analyze the positional information to determine one or more paths used by at least some of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users to move among a plurality of locations; predict a next destination for the mobile device based on: the one or more locations the mobile device has traveled to on the current path, the determined one or more paths, and a level of interest associated with one or more potential destinations for the mobile device; and communicate advertising content for the predicted next destination to the mobile device before the mobile device arrives at the predicted next destination.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein to predict the next destination, the program instructions are further executable to analyze aggregated traffic pattern information for at least some of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users that have traveled to at least one of the one or more locations visited by the mobile device.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein to communicate the advertising content to the mobile device, the program instructions are further configured to send a text message to the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein to communicate the advertising content to the mobile device, the program instructions are further configured to send a graphic image to the mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein to communicate the advertising content to the mobile device, the program instructions are further configured to send an audio message to the mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to receive a request from the mobile device requesting a recommended destination for the mobile device, wherein said predicting and said communicating are performed in response to said receiving.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein to predict the next destination, the program instructions are further executable to receive one or more bids for communicating advertising content regarding each of one or more potential destinations for the mobile device, wherein the next destination corresponds to the potential destination for which a highest bid was received.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein to predict the next destination, the program instructions are further executable to determine respective levels of interest in each of a plurality of potential destinations for the mobile device, and wherein the next destination corresponds to the potential destination with a highest level of interest of the plurality of levels of interest.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to receive positional information corresponding to a current location for the mobile device and wherein the next destination is predicted based in part on the current location.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to receive the positional information in a format corresponding to a cell-signal triangulation of the current location.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to receive the positional information in a format corresponding to a Global Positional Satellite derived latitude and longitude.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein to predict the next destination, the program instructions are further executable to rank one or more potential destinations according to a number of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users that have traveled from at least one of the one or more locations traveled to by the mobile device of the user to the one or more potential destinations.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the next destination corresponds to a highest ranked one of the potential destinations.

14. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to: receive positional information regarding movements of a plurality mobile devices of a plurality of users; analyze the positional information to determine one or more paths used by at least some of the plurality of mobile devices of the plurality of users to move among a plurality of locations; determine one or more locations predicted to be traveled to by another mobile device of another user based on: positional information regarding movements of the another mobile device, a level of interest associated with one or more potential destinations, and the determined one or more paths; and provide, before the another mobile device arrives at a predicted location of the determined one or more locations predicted, content corresponding to the predicted location, wherein the content is provided to the another mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein to determine the one or more predicted locations, the program instructions are further executable to determine that the positional information regarding movements of the another mobile device correspond to one or more of the paths.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein to determine the one or more predicted locations, the program instructions are further executable to compare a current location for the another mobile device, as indicated by the positional information regarding the another mobile device, with one or more locations on each of the one or more paths.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein said comparison indicates that the current location for the another mobile device is on one of the one or more paths, and wherein at least one of the predicted locations is also on the one of the one or more paths.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to determine that the another mobile device has deviated from the one of the one or more paths.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein to determine the one or more predicted locations, the program instructions are further executable to determine, based on the one or more paths, that at least one of the plurality of mobile devices of the plurality of users traveled to at least one of the predicted locations after traveling to a current location for the another mobile device, wherein the current location for the another mobile device is based on the positional information regarding movements of the another mobile device.

20. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to: receive positional information regarding movements of a plurality of mobile devices of a plurality of users; analyze the positional information to determine one or more paths used by at least some of the plurality of mobile devices of the plurality of users to move among a plurality of locations; determine that another mobile device of another user that has traveled to one or more locations indicated as on one of the paths has deviated from the one of the paths; and provide, in response to the determined deviation from the one of the paths, a notification including information regarding the determined deviation.

21. A computer-implemented method, comprising: determining one or more locations a mobile device of a user has traveled to on a current path; receiving positional information regarding movements of a plurality of other mobile devices of other users; analyzing the positional information to determine one or more paths used by at least some of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users to move among a plurality of locations; determining a level of interest for a plurality of potential next destinations; predicting a next destination of the plurality of potential next destinations for the mobile device based at least in part on the one or more locations the mobile device has traveled to on the current path, on the determined one or more paths, and on the determined level of interest for the plurality of potential next destinations; and communicating advertising content for the next destination of the plurality of next destinations to the mobile device.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein said predicting the next destination further comprises analyzing aggregated traffic pattern information for at least some of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users that have traveled to at least one of the one or more locations traveled to by the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein said communicating advertising content further comprises sending a text message to the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein said communicating advertising content further comprises sending a graphic image to the mobile device.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein said communicating advertising content further comprises sending an audio message to the mobile device.

26. The method of claim 21 , further comprising receiving a request from the mobile device requesting a recommended destination for the mobile device, wherein said predicting and said communicating are performed in response to said receiving.

27. The method of claim 21 , wherein said predicting further comprises receiving one or more bids for communicating advertising content regarding each of one or more potential destinations for the mobile device, wherein the next destination corresponds to the potential destination for which a highest bid was received.

28. The method of claim 21 , wherein the next destination corresponds to a potential destination of the plurality of potential next destinations with a highest level of interest.

29. The method of claim 21 , further comprising receiving positional information corresponding to a current location of the mobile device and wherein said predicting the next destination is based in part on the current location.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein said receiving positional information comprises receiving the positional information in a format corresponding to a cell-signal triangulation of the current location.

31. The method of claim 29 , wherein said receiving positional information comprises receiving the positional information in a format corresponding to a Global Positional Satellite derived latitude and longitude.

32. The method of claim 21 , wherein said predicting further comprises ranking one or more potential destinations according to a number of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users that have traveled from at least one of the one or more locations traveled to by the mobile device to the one or more potential destinations.

33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the next destination corresponds to a highest ranked one of the potential destinations.

34. The method of claim 21 , further comprising: receiving information indicating user preferences for the user prior to predicting the next destination; and determining the advertising content according to the user preferences.

35. The method of claim 34 , wherein the user preferences information indicates one or more locations for which the user desires not to receive advertising content, wherein said predicting the next destination comprises determining that the next destination is not one of the locations indicated by the user preferences.

36. The method of claim 34 , wherein the user preferences information indicates a maximum frequency at which the user desires to receive advertising content.

37. The method of claim 34 , wherein the user preferences information indicates whether or not the user desires to receive advertising content.

38. The method of claim 34 , wherein the user preferences information indicates a type of advertising content that the user desires to receive.

39. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, comprising program instruction executable to implement: determining one or more locations a mobile device of a user has traveled to on a current path; receiving positional information regarding movements of a plurality other mobile devices of other users; analyzing the positional information to determine one or more paths used by at least some of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users to move among a plurality of locations; predicting a next destination for the mobile device based on the one or more locations the mobile device has traveled to on the current path and based on the determined one or more paths, wherein predicting includes determining a level of interest in one or more potential destinations, and wherein the next destination corresponds to the potential destination with a highest level of interest; and communicating advertising content for the next destination to the mobile device before the mobile device arrives at the next destination.

40. The medium of claim 39 , wherein predicting the next destination further comprises analyzing aggregated traffic pattern information for at least some of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users that have traveled to at least one of the one or more locations traveled to by the mobile device.

41. The medium of claim 39 , wherein said communicating advertising content further comprises sending a text message to the mobile device.

42. The medium of claim 39 , wherein said communicating advertising content further comprises sending a graphic image to the mobile device.

43. The medium of claim 39 , wherein said communicating advertising content further comprises sending an audio message to the mobile device.

44. The medium of claim 39 , further comprising receiving a request from the mobile device requesting a recommended location for the mobile device, wherein said predicting and said communicating are performed in response to said receiving.

45. The medium of claim 39 , wherein predicting further comprises receiving one or more bids for communicating advertising content regarding each of one or more potential destinations of the mobile device, wherein the next destination corresponds to the potential destination for which a highest bid was received.

46. The medium of claim 39 , further comprising receiving positional information corresponding to a current location of the mobile device and wherein said predicting the next destination is based in part on the current location.

47. The medium of claim 46 , wherein said receiving positional information comprises receiving the positional information in a format corresponding to a cell-signal triangulation of the current location.

48. The medium of claim 46 , wherein said receiving positional information comprises receiving the positional information in a format corresponding to a Global Positional Satellite derived latitude and longitude.

49. The medium of claim 39 , wherein predicting further comprises ranking one or more potential destinations according to a number of the plurality of other mobile devices of the other users that have traveled from at least one of the one or more locations traveled to by the mobile device to the one or more potential destinations.

50. The medium of claim 39 , wherein the next destination corresponds to a highest ranked one of the potential destinations.